Altruistic behaviour, but not volunteering, has been associated with cognitive performance in community‐dwelling older persons

Aim Studies have indicated that altruistic behaviour may be associated with better health. Nevertheless, it has not been determined if volunteering acts as a protective factor against cognitive decline or if a person's altruistic character does so. This study aims to evaluate whether altruistic...

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Veröffentlicht in:Psychogeriatrics 2019-03, Vol.19 (2), p.117-125
Hauptverfasser: Corrêa, Jimilly C., Ávila, Maria P.W., Lucchetti, Alessandra L.G., Lucchetti, Giancarlo
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Sprache:eng
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Zusammenfassung:Aim Studies have indicated that altruistic behaviour may be associated with better health. Nevertheless, it has not been determined if volunteering acts as a protective factor against cognitive decline or if a person's altruistic character does so. This study aims to evaluate whether altruistic behaviour and volunteering are associated with better cognitive function in active community‐dwelling older persons. Methods This was a cross‐sectional study in healthy older persons. Sociodemographics, altruistic behaviour (self‐report altruism scale), volunteering (days volunteered), cognitive state (cognitive assessment battery), and factors associated with cognition (e.g. depression, social support, functional status, and religiosity) were evaluated. Adjusted and non‐adjusted models were created in order to understand the relationship of altruistic behaviour and volunteering with cognitive performance. Results A total of 312 older adults were evaluated; 89.4% were women, and the mean age was 69.6 years. In the linear regression models, greater altruistic behaviour was associated with higher scores on the Mini‐Mental State Examination (β = 0.148, P 
ISSN:1346-3500
1479-8301
DOI:10.1111/psyg.12372